Effects of Social Deviance Labels on Judgements of Facial Attractiveness: A Comparison of Labelling Procedures Using Japanese Raters

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Are people labelled as social deviants also perceived as less physically attractive? Four studies conducted in Japan examined judgements of male social‐deviants' attractiveness using several labelling procedures. Study 1 determined attractiveness judgement and social distance of various social groups, and Study 2 examined the effect of three labels on attractiveness judgement of 16 portraits. In Studies 3 and 4 subjects were asked to match 8 or an unlimited number of the 16 portraits with the same 3 labels. Findings indicate that labelling a person negatively resulted in a decrease in attractiveness ratings. Overall, however, the labelling pattern was found to affect attractiveness judgement. Finally, this study provides cross‐cultural support for the stereotypical association between social deviants and low attractiveness.